The X-Files has had two follow up seasons, in 2016 and 2018, after its initial run, from 1993 to 2002. Both new seasons were mediocre at best, although there were some decent episodes. It’s also had two rather bad movies, in 1998 and 2008. Go here for a recap of my thoughts on The X-Files, I’ve seen every one although I was so disappointed in the second revival season that I didn’t report on it. Gillian Anderson has said that she’s done with the X-Files after that last season partially because she had to fight for equal pay with her costar, David Duchovny. She also noted that women directed only two episodes out of over 200 in the original series. The revival series had an all-male writing team.
Creator and showrunner Chris Carter really ran that series into the ground. He fumbled the films and the follow up series and the show went downhill during the end of its original airing. (David Duchovny was barely in the last season in 2002 – they tried replacing him with the guy from Terminator, Robert Patrick.) Anyway I’m glad that The X-Files under Carter has been put to bed. What if it got a reboot with a new cast and an incredible director/showrunner, though? Carter said in an interview with CBC that he’s spoken to director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) and that Coogler is rebooting The X-Files!
Ryan Coogler is developing a new take on “The X-Files.”
Original series creator Chris Carter made the revelation during an interview with “On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The X-Files.” During the interview, Carter said, “I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files’ with a diverse cast. So he’s got his work cut out for him, because we covered so much territory.”
Reps for Coogler did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. 20th Television, the studio behind the original series, declined to comment.
As the project is in its very early stages, there is no word on what network or platform on which it would air. More than likely, though, it would air on Hulu rather than “The X-Files’” original network home, Fox, as Fox and 20th TV are no longer part of the same company following Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. To that point, there are currently revivals of the Fox shows “Futurama” and “King of the Hill” set up at Hulu.
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Carter says with no acknowledgement of Coogler’s incredible success and experience. It’s also telling that Carter had to mention “a diverse cast” as if it’s notable that non-white people are going to be on a show. Go sit on your covered porch and play solitaire on your iPad, Chris Carter. Coogler can write and direct circles around you.
I’m so excited for this! Coogler is 36. He probably grew up watching The X-Files (although he was too young for the early seasons). He’ll do the essence of the show justice while helping it reach its potential. We know he creates incredible and entertaining films and I would watch the hell out of an X-Files series and any follow up movies from him. Please let this happen. Also can we get KiKi Layne and Winston Duke as the leads?
photos credit: Fayes Vision/Cover Images, Getty
I think this could be really good! The X-Files is tied with The Simpsons for my all-time favorite TV show, so I’m gonna watch it regardless.
I bring you love!
I bring you peace!
It’s bringing love! Don’t let it get away!
LOL
The alien has a sweet heavenly voice…like Urkel!
I don’t know who he has in mind but Nicole Beharie should be involved in this reboot in a starring role. That’s all.
Yessss!!! Nicole Beharie deserves all of her flowers. She’s a brilliant actress
Oh, she’s a wonderful actress… I would definitely watch it with her in it. Soon as she left sleep hollow I stopped watching, didn’t realize how much I enjoyed the show because of her until she left
This could be really good if it is all new current day storylines.
There is A LOT of UFO related info that the govt has admitted to since the original X-Files, there is a ton of govt verified true sources for new stories.
I will be really disappointed if this is just a re-hash of the old storyline
The first episode should be about mysterious balloons over US air space and the government coverup to hide that it’s aliens.
Kiki and Winston…
Oh CB, I can already see it on my screen.
Meh….this bores me. I’ve said for awhile I think Ryan Coogler is a tremendous filmmaker and I want to see his “Inception”. After Christopher Nolan had crazy success with his franchise movies he got to do Inception and be original. Another remake/adaptation?…meh.
I know right? Make a new weird phenomenon show. Come on, you can do it without having to dive into past projects.
Is it telling nobody is talking about this except Chris Carter? Makes me think it’s a llloonnnggg way off. Things can be in development for years, and it’s never a guarantee it will make it to the screen.
I remember when Kevin Feige talked about his interview with Ryan for the 1st BP and it ended up with Ryan interviewing him.
I get the feeling it was the same way with Chris. Ryan came in prepared, knowing his vision, knowing his stuff and having questions ready.
There are just some people in leadership roles who are not prepared to be questioned on anything. Ain’t that something.
Agree, the whole thing sounds made-up wishful thinking on CC’s part after he lost his chance on anything further with this series once he ruined it by making the Smoking Man the father of Scully’s baby. But he probably still makes money off any X-files reboots etc, so he is axed to have it continue.
I did a rewatch of the whole series back when they announced the new seasons were coming. Loved the original series while it was on the air, but gave up towards the end.
One thing the rewatch revealed is how creepy it was that they made everything a government conspiracy, even when there was an evil corporation just sitting there. Nope, cutting corners to boost corporate profits and executive bonuses wasn’t why they were poisoning people, it was government bureaucrats! It just became ridiculous. And of course it was on Fox. So easy to see how the show fed into the government employees being the problem, even though it was filming during a time of rising corporate malfeasance and billionaires controlling political messaging via dark money ops. Curious to see if Coogler will stick to the original premise or widen the range of villains being investigated.
Please don’t reboot stuff just make something new. I guess I’m just old.
I could get behind this. I have no idea who could be cast. I just need lots and lots of chemistry like GA and DD had.
I really wish that all the funding for reboots would be directed toward funding new and original programming. The whole reason all these shows, like Charmed, Buffy, X-Files, and many others got made is because someone had an original vision for them and someone else gave them the chance to make them happen. Giving money to rebooted shows with a more diverse cast doesn’t actually do anything for promoting more diversity in film and television as these shows are never normally as good as the original ones and they end up getting canceled as the viewership will always rather stream the original anyway.
Penguin—truth. See also the current Quantum Leap reboot. Boring cast, tedious plots, and way-overcomplicated conspiracy/backstory. Ugh.
I don’t know. The zeitgeist is so different now. Wikileaks confirmed that the government really is spying on everyone. The “lone gunman” look positively naive from the vantage point of 2023. FEMA was a scary boogeyman because it had all these scary powers on paper and we hadn’t seen it in action much in the 90s. After multiple hurricanes and the pandemic, no one is afraid of FEMA. I don’t know if you can capture that lightning in a bottle twice.
This could be cool 😎. Love his work
I loved, loved, loved The X-Files. I watched it in its original run, with VR5 and The Net and The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr and Sliders and Freaky Links and every other show they paired it with that got cancelled after two episodes. I even watched The Lone Gunmen. So I’m very interested in this. But I also understand that it isn’t necessarily for me. The X-Files inspired a lot of people in my generation to be curious, and Scully (along with Clarice Starling) inspired a lot of women to career paths they wouldn’t have otherwise even thought about. I hope the new show can be just as much of an inspiration and zeitgeist, even if that means some of the stuff I loved will change to suit a new generation.
On a completely shallow note, I guess Cigarette Smoking Man will vape now and Mulder will have a p0rnhub premium account.
Ryan Coogler is an excellent director. I’d watch anything he directed.
No and no.
“but that was in another country, / And besides, the wench is dead.”
“You can’t go home again.”
“Nothing gold can stay.”
Somebody really needs to do a media case study on Chris Carter. Has there ever been a TV creator who failed so badly to successfully spin off their work—or make new ones? This is what happens when producers treat writers like crap—the latter stick around long enough to make a name/get credit, then they head for the hills.